Pretend
by CapturetheFinnick
Summary: How will Phil and Dan hide their relationship when Cat comes to stay? Fluff. Phan.
1. Pretend

_**This is my first phanfiction so I'm a little nervous and apprehensive to how this is going to go. I'm also not sure whether to leave this as a one shot or whether to turn it into a chapter deal? So it would be helpful if you could tell me your thoughts on that. Okay, here we go;**_

Chapter One

The sunlight streams through the curtains, bathing the bed in a warm glow. I roll over to see Dan, his face coated with sleep-induced innocence, his hair unkepmt and messy, which I think is cute but I know that he hates. I feel a smile creeping up on me, it's all I can do to hold it down, just knowing that I have Dan in my life warms me from the inside, spreads happiness from my heart. Careful not to disturb Dan I sit up, slowly removing the covers and climbing cautiously out of bed. Immediately I reach out; stretching for my phone in the small shaft of light. Pressing the button, I illuminate the screen, forcing it to show me the time; 11am.

Oh no, I think. Although me and Dan have been dating for a while now, somehow we still never got the courage to tell people about it. I don't know what it was, maybe we were just happy, happy to have this little shared secret, this little place that was just ours, maybe subconciously we were scared that if we told people it would become real. And today, Cat is coming to stay, for a week.

Aware of how much Dan hates early mornings, I decide to get dressed before I wake him. Staring intently at the wardrobe, which now held my bright clothes infiltrated with a few of Dan's gothic black ones, I pull out a green and blue checkered shirt and some black skinny jeans and quickly pull them on, she really would be here in next to no time.

Then, walking round the bed, I sit next to Dan and drape my arm around his shoulder, shaking him slightly. Dan opens his eyelids, revealing his groggy eyes. The deep, smoky brown irises are tinged with sleep and he runs his hands tiredly through his hair as he yawns. I leant down, kissing him sweetly on the lips, before pulling the covers of the bed as a sign to get up. "Tell me Phil" he says, staring straight into my eyes "why are we up so early?" "Don't you remember?" he shook his head somewhat guiltily "Cat?" I say and his eyes widen as he jumps out of bed causing me to giggle slightly. "When?" he says and, looking down at my brightly lit phone, I say "Ten minutes." to which Dan swears colourfully.

Dan is still hurridly trying to pull a deep black t-shirt over his head when I hear a light knock on the door and, pecking him one last time on the cheek, I rush down the stairs and open the door. Infront of me stands Cat, a grin plastered on her face and a bright pink suitcase at her heels. "Come in!" I say with a cheery smile as Dan came up behind me. Sensing his presence, I have to resist the urge to slide my hand into his and spin around, catching his lips with my own, but with a blush and a dissapointing sensation I remember we have a guest and instead I busy myself with climbing the many stairs.

Me and Cat sit in the living room as Dan begins to make tea for our guest. Whilst he's gone, Cat engages herself in chatting to me, catching me up on all that had happened since we had last seen her. I nod along politely and laugh in all the right places but frankly my mind is drifting back to my happy place with Dan, who seems to be occupying my thoughts a lot recently. Right in the middle of one of Cat's stories, Dan comes back into the room, balancing three mugs in his hands. He hands one to me, flashing me that signature smile, before handing Cat hers and sitting down on the sofa next to her. Cat then recaps the story and Dan makes some comment about how 'British people would never ever do that' and on the whole it's fun, though I can't stop thinking about how I would rather be sat next to Dan with my arm snaked around his neck. Hiding this was going to be a lot more complicated than we thought.

Seen as Cat only has a few days in the UK before she has some other event to go to, we decide to waste no time. After the tea and after Cat has dropped her case off in our spare room, we grab our coats and head for the big city. We do all the things tourists like to see when they come to england; the eye, big ben, shopping, museums, the full tour.

After a full day, we are so exhausted that it is all we can do to collapse on the sofas in the coffee house. And as we sit and drink, we chat, mine and Dan's hands entwined underneath the table out of Cat's sight. We laugh and smile and we completely lose track of time. I sort of wish we could just tell Cat and then me and Dan could act how we want instead of resorting to stolen glances when Cat isn't looking, but soon enough our oppurtunity arises and Cat excuses herself to go to the bathroom. Dan turns to look at me, his grin lighting up his whole face and, unable to stop myself I lean in and kiss him slowly, the raucous sounds of the cafe turning into a noiseless blur and all there is me and him in the whole entire world. Until I hear Cat's footsteps coming round the corner...


	2. Warmth

_**Okay so it looks like I am turning it into a chapter fic, thanks to NeverlandNat for reviewing and helping out with that!**_

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

Cat's shadow rounds the corner and, quickly and with extreme effort, I pull away from Dan, my eyes immediately whipping to Cat. whose eyes, thankfully, had caught on a poster. She hadn't noticed. Dan flashes me a quick and heart melting smile before staring into his coffee cup, trying to conceal his beaming smile from Cat. Cat sits back down and launches herself back into conversation as Dan's hand finds my own once again.

We sit in the café just talking for hours as I try to stop myself from staring at Dan's face as he talks or lighting up when he laughs. I glance out the window to see that the brightness of the day has faded to be replaced with the lurking darkness, I guess it is later than we thought. Dan follows my eye line and, seeing the darkness too he says "Time to go." in his cute voice that I love so much.

As we walk home the rain begins to fall. And I don't mean starts to drizzle, I mean it is full on hailing and all out of nowhere. Me and Dan and Cat share a look and, as a spur of the moment kind of thing we begin to run, as fast as we can, delighted squeals and torrents of laughter escaping our lips as we race, the rain drenching us until we can no longer see. We run through the streets of London, past the serious-looking business men with their important umbrella's and past the tourists marvelling at the architecture, gaining more and more stares as we go but I really don't care. I can feel freedom capturing my soul and the wind rushing past my ears. And I am happy. And that's all that matters.

Eventually, we reach our flat, slamming into the front door. Dan quickly snatches the key from the back pocket of his soaked jeans and pushes open the door. We all pile in, smiles still lighting up our faces. We just stare at each other until Cat exclaims "What a day" and we all start uncontrollably laughing at the insanity that just happened and as Cat climbs up the stairs, I kiss Dan quickly but tenderly on the lips whilst her eyes are diverted.

Cat says something about drying her hair and disappears back to her room, leaving me and Dan all alone in the lounge. Without even thinking, I climb into Dan's lap, curling myself around his neck like a new-born baby, craving warmth and security and love. Dan leans down and kisses me, properly this time, and I sit up, returning the kiss as a smile begins to creep onto my lips. We are lost for a few moments, with just each other and the dimming glow of the fireplace. But then we hear footsteps and with a sigh we spring apart, pretending to be engaged in some fascinating conversation about camera lighting.

She turns the corner with the usual smile glittering her face and without any awkwardness or hint as to what we were just doing, Dan suggests that we watch a film that he was talking about earlier. We decide to make a night of it. Dan makes hot chocolate, complete with cream and marshmallows and I make popcorn as Cat fetches some blankets and pillows. Eagerly, and much like young girls at a sleepover, we climb under the blankets, Cat's body pressed between me and Dan.

The film is one I have seen a fair few times, and one which I know is one of Dan's favourites, which is probably why I've seen it so many times. We eat popcorn and drink the hot chocolate and laugh and it is a lot of fun, we watch a few more films after Dan's one until finally Cat exclaims that she's tired and meanders on back to our spare room. Since we aren't experiencing the trauma of changing time zones, me and Dan are wide awake and, with a quick glance at each other, we simultaneously throw the duvet back over our heads. By torchlight we resume where we had left off in front of the fire, and happiness begins to fill me once again. I think about how dangerous it is to let all your happiness radiate and depend upon one person. How if he ever left I would be in pieces. But my heart is sure of his love for me and that is enough for me. After the kissing, we resort to talking, staying up all night, losing track of time just remembering and discussing. I cannot even see his face but I know he is there, his hand clutching mine as my body presses up against his.

I don't remember drifting off but somehow I must have done because I wake up with my head on Dan's chest as the sunlight streams through the blinds. And that is when I remember Cat. And that is when I remember that to her we are not lovers but platonic friends. And that is when I remember that platonic friends don't sleep together. And that is when I wake Dan up.

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><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading and please review!<strong>_


	3. Smile

_**Thank you to ElzyPhangirl, OwlSky15678, naturesrooftopreader and NeverlandNat for reviewing! Here goes:**_

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Three<strong>_

Thankfully Cat hasn't awoken yet and thankfully she didn't awake before now either, because me and Dan would have had a hell of a lot of explaining to do if she had found us entwined under a duvet in the middle of our living room. Since our rooms are right next to the guest room where Cat is staying, we opt not to try to sneak back to them, feigning sleep. Instead we choose to pretend that we had both gotten up early. With this plan in mind and one eye subconsciously fixated on the door, I go through to the kitchen to make breakfast. It hasn't been very long when I feel Dan's arms wrap and around my waist. He lies his head down on my shoulder and suddenly I find it a whole lot harder to focus on frying bacon. Giving in to temptation, I spin around, resting my forehead against Dan's. He smiles that quirky little smile that always makes me melt a little on the inside before pressing his lips against my own, moving his hands down to my waist.

The sound of the fire alarm splits us up, the shrill screams bursting my eardrums as I jump backwards, almost knocking the pan off of the hob. Dan laughs at my reaction and I hit him jokingly on the arm with a tea towel before reaching up and switching the alarm off, it would seem that the smoke from the bacon had gotten too thick and had seeped into the inner wiring. "Great." I say to Dan "Now the bacon's burnt."

"How is that my fault?" Dan replies, his voice indignant.

"You distracted me!"

"Don't lie, you loved that." he says, and my cheeks flush the colour of the bacon (had it not been burnt) and I stay silent for I have no counter argument; he is right.

We hear Cat's footsteps treading down the hall and Dan springs away from me, trying to look as casual as possible by digging around in the bread bin, I guess she's awake now then. With one last peck on Dan's cheek I walk through to the living room. "Good morning!" I say in the cheeriest voice possible, considering what Cat just interrupted.

"Hey" she says "You're up early!"

"Yeah you know, gotta seize the day and all." I say, trying hard not to laugh at the fact that I would never ever normally say that sentence.

"Uh-huh." she says. Dan comes through to the living room with three bacon sandwiches balanced in his arms. Turning to Cat he says "Sorry the bacon is a little burnt, I have a tendency to be easily distracted." then he turns to smile at me as I eat my sandwich, beaming on the inside.

"So.. what are we doing today?" I ask a mouth full of sweet bread and charcoaly bacon.

"Umm... we could go to a theme park?" Dan says. I glance out the window to see clear blue skies and with shock I realise that it's actually a nice day. "Well this is probably the only rain-free day we'll get this year," I say, getting a laugh out of Dan "So, yeah, it should be fun."

"Theme park it is." agrees Cat.

After breakfast, we all go back to our rooms to get dressed and ready for the day. Shutting my white door, I walk over to the wardrobe and pull open the doors. With a smile, I remember when me and Dan built it, how much editing it took to try and make it look like we weren't going out, so we could put the video up online. I search through my clothes for a while before I realise that the T-shirt I am looking for, my favourite t-shirt, is still in Dan's wardrobe from last week. Creeping across the hallway, consciously trying not to draw attention to myself, I knock on Dan's door. "Yeah" I hear him call out.

"It's Phil" I reply

"Come in" he says. I walk in to find him in the middle of getting dressed, wearing tight black skinny jeans but no T-shirt, I smile a little at the sight but after all it's nothing I haven't seen before. Dan smiles back at me, happiness radiating from his face. "Which t-shirt do you think?" he says, pointing to the ones lay out on his bed.

"You look good in anything." I reply

"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere."

"I don't know it's worked before."

"When?"

"Oh come on don't lie, you know you like it."

"I don't like it, I like you." he says before taking my face in his hands and kissing me fervently. Light on breath, I say

"Oh and the red one." before walking round to the wardrobe, taking my space t-shirt off of its hanger and pulling it over my head. Dan laughs at me and pulls me back onto the bed, rolling over so he is above me. In a mutter he says "You know I love you right?"

"I know" I say with a smile and I kiss him again, glad for once that girls take so long to get ready.

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><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading and please review!<strong>_


	4. Jealousy

_**I'm sorry this is a little long I guess I kind of got carried away a little, also I'm sorry it's a little late but you know school, anyway thanks to witbeyondmeasureXOX, NeverlandNat and ElzyPhangirl for reviewing and I hope you like it!**_

_**Chapter Four**_

The sun shines brightly, sparkling off of the big silver gates which frame the promised land. The place is packed out, with rollercoasters soaring overhead like birds and big stalls all different colours of the rainbow. There are people swarming everywhere, like bees desperate to get back to their honey pot. I feel memories surge inside me as I see myself aged three, riding a rollercoaster for the first time, aged twelve, throwing up on the big dipper and the last time I was here with Dan, back when we were both unsure as to whether we liked each other, back when we were still trying to convince ourselves and each other that we were just friends.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Cat, the ever-present camera clutched in her fist but I'm more focused on Dan and his smile, wider than a little kid's on christmas morning, as he stares up at the rides whirling above. Immediately, he points to a gigantic ride, with twirls and drops and water guns, his face lighting up with excitement. Cat looks hesitant but with some nudging and convincing she joins us in the queue. The line snakes around the building twice, the space filled with the sound of tuts and sighs of the general public. We fill the time with a few stories and some vlogging and some snacks that Cat had stashed in her seemingly bottomless bag and in time we are at the front. I am beginning to feel a swarm of butterflies raging in my stomach. Out of habit, I reach for Dan's hand, drawing back at the last-minute when I remember Cat. A giant lump forms in my throat. It's always like this with me, the nerves shred me to pieces before hand but once I climb aboard all the worries fly away and adrenaline pumps through me, surging through my veins and I love it. I just have to get over the pre rollercoaster jitters, I tell myself.

The gates open up and we pile in, Cat with Dan and me all alone. I find myself staring at the back of Dan's head as I wait for the ride to begin, mesmerised by his deep chocolatey brown hair. My gaze snaps when I see Cat's arm on Dan's shoulder. Is she flirting with him? my mind screams as a spike of jealousy hits my stomach. I see her laugh, her perfect white teeth on show for the whole world to see. She is, I think. She's going to steal Dan away from me. The ride starts with a jolt as the wheels begin to turn over the steel tracks but I am no longer fearful. All the fear that was inside of me has been quelled and has been overtaken by the jealousy that is surging through my body. I can focus on nothing else but the burning hatred in my very soul. 'You're over reacting!' I can hear a small part of me scream from deep inside but it is barely a whisper, it is being shouted down by all the rest of me that is yelling at the top of its lungs.

I keep my eyes trained on Cat as the rollercoaster ascends. Thoughts whirl round my mind 'are they holding hands?' 'does she like him?' 'does he like her?' I have lost all sense of sanity and I sense it is past the point where I can just shake it off. As the thoughts swirl round my head I think about how much Dan means to me, I think about how, if he were ever snatched from me, how heart broken I'd be. I didn't even realise I was the jealous type before now. I had never felt even a smidge of jealousy with any of my previous girlfriends. In fact, I had never felt jealousy like this before, full stop.

I am so focused on the jealousy that is invading my mind, that I don't even notice the climb. I don't even notice when we reach the very tip top of the rollercoaster, and so I am very unprepared when the carriage starts dropping into free fall, twisting corners and spinning loops at an alarming rate. I can feel the wind whipping through my hair, working its magic and whisking my problems away as it goes. Opening my eyes, I see the whole world rushing past in a blur of bright colour and stretched images. I feel the excitement in the pit of my stomach as a smile finally creeps its way onto my lips.

I stumble off of the ride, slightly disorientated and a little dizzy and, much like a drunk person on a friday night, I stagger straight into Dan, his strong arms stopping me from falling. I can feel his heart beating against my chest, strong and steady, the exact thing he is in my life, a person to depend upon, a person of security. And I begin to wonder why I ever doubted him, I trust Dan more than any other person in the world. He loves me, not Cat, and if she ever asked I know what his answer would be. Dan hoists me back to my feet, his cheeks blushing slightly and we soldier on to the next ride.

We do this all day, occasionally stopping for some overpriced chips or a drink of coke filled with little ice cubes. The bright summers day is beginning to descend into the dimness of evening by the time we reach thunder, the centre piece of the park, the biggest ride in the whole place. Turning to my left I see Cat gulp a little, fear growing bigger in her eyes. "Guys" she says in her american drawl "I really don't think I can do this one."

"Sure you can." I say encouragingly

"Uh-uh" says Cat, shaking her head back and forth. "I really can't"

"Are you sure?" Dan says "This is the best one!"

"No, I think I'm gonna sit this one out, Cat says pointing to a bench nearby "I've been on and off rides all day, I just don't think I'm up to this one."

"Okay." Dan says "And you're okay with waiting?"

"Yeah, no problem." she says, pulling out her phone, "go ahead."

Me and Dan walk towards the ride, faced with another queue, although this one is considerably shorter than the ones we've had to tackle all day. Once we are round the corner, and out of Cat's eye line, Dan grabs my face, kissing me with passion and hunger and I kiss him back. Breaking away, I laugh "How long have you been waiting to do that?" I ask with a giggle. "Since Cat woke up this morning." he admits, blushing slightly. Snaking my hand around the back of his neck, I kiss him again, letting all the want that had been building up all day just drift away. Linking his hand with mine, me and Dan join the queue. We laugh and make jokes and Dan is in the middle of telling a story when I blurt out "You looked like you were having fun with Cat before." I am unable to stop myself, my jealous streak is coming to the surface. It had been playing on my mind all day. Dan stops talking, his mouth still open slightly, unable to hide the shock coating his face. "Are you- jealous Phil?" he says incredulous. "Maybe." I say, looking down at the floor, regretting having opened my mouth at all. "But- what- what?" Dan says seemingly stunned by the idea. "You know that I love you right, Phil? You know that there's no one else, now or ever, right?" People are beginning to stare but Dan, who is usually quite shy about these things, carries on "Phil, there is no need to be jealous." and with that, he pulls me towards him, kissing me, my heart beating faster than a cheetah, oblivious to the stares and the awkward coughs coming from behind us. We kiss until I have to break off in need of air, both of us smiling like kids in a candy factory. "I love you too." I say, my head against his.

This time, we hear the coughs and, blushing brighter than ever, I turn to look at the people behind us, coming face to face with an angry russian woman who was pointing a gnarled finger in front of us. I turn round to see that we had been so caught up that we hadn't even seen the queue moving forward and, awkwardly we shuffle into the gap.

Before long, I find myself behind another metal gate, the same place I had stood at various different rides all day, except this time I could feel Dan's fingers entwined with mine and this time I could feel his head on my shoulder, his soft breath in my ear. The gates open, and we step through, our hands still tangled, me pulling Dan behind me. Our hands never break as they pull the safety belts over our heads, they never break as the ride jolt's forward or as we begin to ascend the steep track upwards, towards infinity. And as we are up there, the view stretching for miles and miles around us, Dan's hand clamped firmly in mine, I realise that I am happy, for the first time in a long time there is not one thing, not one, that is bothering me, not one little worry lurking in the back of my head. I am happy, and I am only going to get happier from here on out, for I am on a rollercoaster that only goes up.

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><p><strong><em>I'm sorry I couldn't help but add the TFiOS reference, I hope someone gets it. Thanks for reading and please review!<em>**


	5. Night

**_Sorry it is kind of late but I have exams and things and If you've ever been to my page you'd see that I have three full on chapter fics going on at the moment, so yeah. Thanks again to ElzyPhangirl, NeverlandNat and witbeyondmeasureXOX for reviewing! Here we go:_**

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><p><strong><span><em>Night<em>**

I lie awake in my bed, the cold winds howling outside and the warm sheets encompassing me. I stare intently at the small crack of light seeping under the door, as soon as the light flickers out, I can go, I think. As soon as the light turns to dark, I will know that Cat is asleep, and then I can fall into Dan's arms. Staring at the door isn't going to make it go away, I remind myself and so I keep busy by thinking about all that had happened today, a ghost of a smile shimmering on my lips. I remember the sly glances, corner kisses, dissaproving tuts, obvious stares, adrenaline rushes and sweet treats all in one bundle of a memory; of a great day.

I am so wrapped up in my thoughts that when the light finally goes out with a click, I whip my head round, checking if that was really what I thought it was. I begin to slowly inch myself out of bed. Cautious of the squeaking floorboards, I rise, my bare feet cold against the wooden floor. Shivering, I pull Dan's hoodie out from where it is hidden under my bed and pull it over my head, almost like a taster of what's about to come, a teaser of the real Dan.

Slowly, and with my muscles clenched with nerves and apprehension, I open the door. To my relief, no squeaking sound erupts; I am safe. The hallway is pitch black and I fumble around in the dark, trying to figure out where the wall is, to give myself some bearing. Suddenly, I crash into something very hard and looking up I see a shadow of a man. I scream, the sheer sound of shock and terror erupting from my lips before a firm hand plasters itself over my mouth. I squirm, desperately trying to get free. "It's me, you idiot." says the low and smoky tones of a very familiar voice indeed. Dan. "Uh-oh." I say "Did we wake her?" I say, glancing in the general direction of Dan's room, where Cat was staying. "I don't know." Dan says and we stay frozen in position, Dan's hand still tentatively placed upon my shoulder. We hold our breaths for the next few minutes but we hear no signs of stirring and so Dan grabs me by the hand, pulling me down the corridor.

Dan flicks a small lamp on as I follow him into the room, swinging the door firmly shut behind me. I sit down on the bed next to Dan, accidenly catching his ankle with my foot as I sit down. He flinches. "Your feet are freezing!" he exclaims, "Here." he says, gestering for me to put my foot on his lap. Much like a mother would to a child, he begins rubbing my feet back and forth and slowly the ice cold goes away to be replced with something close to warm.

I hug my knees, drawing them close to my chest as I lie my head on Dan's shoulder, just glad that we don't have to hide. That we can have this moment to ourselves. Dan turns his head, kissing me on the cheek gently before moving to my lips. Before I know it, we are curled up together, his body arched around mine, the kiss deepening. Dan is moving his hand to the first button of my shirt when we hear an audible knock on the door, followed by a whispered "Dan" in Cat's american drawl. We look at each other, panic growing larger in our eyes. "Get under the bed." Dan whispers to me and I jump up, crouching behind the bed before swinging myself underneath it in one fluid motion, hoping that the draping covers at the other side conceal my hiding place. Through the muffled sheets I vaguely hear Dan shout "Coming!" followed by the sound of the door swinging on it's hinges.

My stomach is jumping around with nerves, what will she do if she sees me? What will I? It is way past butterflies, more like butterfly lions rampaging around my small intestine. "Have you got any paracetamol? Sorry, I know it's late." I hear Cat say, in an apolygetic tone. "Yeah, I think so, top cupboard, let me show you." says Dan and I hear his footsteps plod down the hall.

What do I do now? I think as my back begins to ache from being so crumpled. I shuffle out from under the bed, cracking my back as I stand up. I quickly dart over to the chipped white door, shutting it and diving back into the bed, covering myself with Dan's duvet. I hear the tinkle of conversation from the kitchen, followed by the switching off of lights and the tiptoes of footsteps. "Goodnight!" I hear Cat call to which Dan replies, before climbing back into bed with me; our own little paradise.

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><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading and please review!<strong>_


	6. Hide

_**So, this is the penultimate chapter. Thank you to witbeyondmeasureXOX, ElzyPhangirl, Ms Moonshoes Potter and NeverlandNat for reviewing! Here you go:**_

_**Chapter Six**_

Tonight is the last night of Cat's stay and we intend to go out with a bang. Although I am sad Cat is leaving I can't help but feel a wave of relief wash over me, no more hiding in the closet for me and Dan, no more watchful looks over the shoulder, we can go back to being the way we are.

I am awake, Dan's arms still wrapped tightly around me as if I were going to sneak off in the night. Carefully, I try to sit up without disturbing Dan, but it is harder than I thought it would be. He stirs, his head shaking slightly. I feel guilty, I know how much Dan hates early mornings, if you can call ten early. He opens his eyes, a slight groan escaping his lips and a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. I break free from the entanglement of his arms and tuck my knees up to my chest "Sorry" I say in a hushed whisper.

"Sorry, you think sorry can fix this?" Dan says jokingly.

"Maybe this can fix it?" I say batting my eyelashes before planting a kiss upon his nose. Dan chuckles before saying

"Umm, okay you're forgiven."

"Yay" I reply. I throw the covers off my knees and stand up, stretching.

"Where are you going?" Dan says, sticking out his bottom lip.

"It's time to get dressed." I say to which Dan groans.

"Whyyy" he says.

"Because Cat's up, now quickly!"

"Ugh" he says as I wrap my hands around his arm, dragging him out of the warmth of the bed. I walk over to Dan's wardrobe, pulling out a few of my clothes that still linger among his. He springs off the floor, where he had fallen, and walks over to me, his chest bare, wearing tartan pyjama pants. He wraps his arms around me. "So what are we wearing today?" he says, resting his head on my shoulder.

"You're distracting me!" I wail and he gets in a few kisses on my ear before I push him away, playfully.

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><p>I am sitting on Dan's bed. We decided to leave separately to avoid suspicion, but oh how I wish we could just walk out there, hand in hand and face the world. How I wish I could see Cat's face when we walk in, my fingers laced into Dan's. But I know that Dan is scared, nobody even knows that he is gay, it's a much bigger leap for him than it is for me and I feel a tiny wave of fear when I think about it, too. Irrational fear sure, but fear all the same. Staring up at the ticking clock I decide it has been enough time and I casually stroll into the living room to find Dan and Cat, sat on adjacent bean bags completely enthralled in the world of Mario Kart. "Heyy" Cat shouts without tearing her eyes from the screen and Dan turns round, flashing me a quick smile before throwing himself back into the game. Laughing slightly, I settle down on the sofa, my phone clasped in my hand. And that is pretty much how the morning goes, a collage of laughter and games.<p>

The sun has begun to set in the sky before we even notice what time it is. We thought, since it was Cat's last night and all that we would go to a party, one that Chris was throwing over at his place. Cat had been very excited when we had told her. That's where she is now, busy in her room, getting dressed. We don't even have to confer anymore, we know that we should grab each moment we can and that is why Dan's head's curled up in the crook of my neck and why my arm is snaked round his shoulder. It feels good to just relax, it occurs to me that we haven't done that in a while, with all the frantic kisses and stolen hugs. It's nice just to sit, oblivious to the surroundings. Me and Dan are already ready, dressed in matching black skinny jeans and smart-casual tops.

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><p>Soon enough, Cat is dressed and we head off through the ever-present British rain. When we get there, the party is already booming. Chris's house reeling with laughter and life. The noise is slightly overwhelming at first, and the crowds are a lot thicker than I expected. Very quickly, we lose Cat, her essence captured by the monstrous crowd and without even thinking about it, I slip my hand into Dan's. I doubt that anyone will notice with all that is going on. I walk around, dragging Dan with me, the noise pounding in my ears. Soon enough, we bump into Chris and he pulls us into an embrace. I tell that he is already a little tipsy. He pushes two bottles of beer into our hands before dancing off, disappearing into the crowd. Dan pulls the lid of his and tips it down his throat, smiling as he does so and I follow suit, doing the same. The liquid warms my stomach and I can already feel it pushing a smile onto my lips, the noisy crowd becoming more appealing somehow.<p>

We dance through the crowd, me still pressed up against Dan, feeling nothing but the music and the beat of my feet against the floor. I spy Cat through the crowd and realise my hand is still entwined with Dan's. Not wanting to let go, I drag him off in the opposite direction, coming across a clean white door and before I can even think, I open it, pulling Dan inside with me. The room we find ourselves in is full of coats, faux fur and fleece covering the walls from ceiling to floor. "Are you trying to suggest something Phil?" Dan says, hands on his hips.

"Maybe" I say blushing slightly.

"You need only ask." retorted Dan, I take that as a sign, pushing Dan against the coats that hang around us, my hands behind his head. "What are you trying to do? Find Narnia?" Dan says and I laugh before kissing him, fire raging in my stomach as I begin to care even less about my life's problems. Through the noise and endless pounding of the party I hear the door squeak open, the hinges groaning , followed by a female rendition of "Oh my god!"

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><p><em><strong>Thank you for reading and please review!<strong>_


	7. Emerge

_**So this is the last chapter and thank you ever so much to NeverlandNat, ElzyPhangirl and Witbeyondmeasurexox for sticking with it all the way through and being super supportive. Also thank you to anyone else who reviewed this, it means a lot to me. So, here we go;**_

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><p><em><strong><span>Chapter 7<span>**_

I spring away from Dan, hitting my head on a coat rack behind my head as I hear an exclamation of 'fuck' escape Dan's lips. I stare into Cat's deep brown eyes, still holding my throbbing head but they don't give away any emotion, she seems too shocked to even think about what she feels about the situation. "Umm.. I can explain." I say, desperately trying to diffuse the awkward tension. She tilts her head slightly, turning her eyes from me to Dan and then back to me again. This goes on for an excruciating amount of time before a smile cracks its way onto her lips "You guys!" she practically screams, stumbling over her words "What, when, what, how, oh my god, when?" she splutters out.

"Umm for a while now" I say, trying to answer the stream of words that have just come out of her mouth whilst Dan still stands completely still, leaning slightly on a brown trench coat. "Oh my god! I'm so happy for you guys!" she says before rushing at me, wrapping her arms around me, but I am still preoccupied with staring at Dan who seems to have gotten paler in the last few minutes. Cat notices my concerned face and turns to look at Dan, "Are you okay?" she says to which Dan nods slightly before saying "Umm can you just excuse us for a second?"

"Yeah, sure." Cat says, looking concerned before opening and closing the brilliant white door with a groan. "Dan?" I say wrapping my arms round his shoulders, but he shrugs me off. "Dan. Are you okay?"

He is silent for a while, "everything's fucked up now" he says, a tear escaping from his eye.

"No it's not. What on earth would make you think that?" I say, pulling him into a hug, and letting him nestle into my chest.

"They're all going to hate me." he says, and I can see his bottom lip beginning to tremble.

"What?" I say "They're not going to hate you, Dan. Did you not see Cat's reaction? She was happy about it."

"Yeah but what abouth the others?" he sniffles. "Why would they want to hang out with a queer like me?"

"Dan." I say, shocked. "This doesn't change anything, and if it does, then those people don't deserve you, you are worth a million of any of the haters out there."

"I'm scared." he says, his voice sounding so fragile that I just want to cradle him like a newborn baby.

"Me too, but you needn't be. We don't have to tell anyone right now, if you don't want to. I am not going to force you into anything. We can tell Cat to keep it to herself and we can carry on as if no one ever saw us, If that's what you want." Dan remained silent for a while, before standing up and looking me straight in the eyes. "No, I can do this." he says.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." he says.

We open the door, and climb out of the closet, once and for all. Hand in hand, we walk to the middle of the room, right in amongst strangers and friends and familiar faces. I stand opposite Dan, his brown eyes radiating strength, and I lean in, running my hands through his hair as I kiss him, sensing the jaws drop around us, the place fall silent. But I don't care, I don't care about them, I only care about Dan, about his hands on my waist and his mouth on mine. As we break away, I am very aware that at some point, someone turned the music off. Gradually, I hear an applause start up and sheepishly, I look up to see smiling faces and shouts of 'finally' and 'about time', sure they are also coupled with some faces of disgust and disapproval, but there was always going to be some bruised apples in the bunch. Through the crowd, I make out Chris, making his way, if slightly unsteadily, toward us. He slaps both of us on the backs with a force that I am sure wasn't intended to be that hard, and congratulates us in his slurred speech. As I am watching Chris amble away I feel a small tap on my back and spin round to see Cat, a smile lighting up her face from ear to ear, she leans in and hugs Dan. "Sorry I didn't get to say it before," she says "but congratulations."

"Thanks" me and Dan say in unison, turning to smile at one another.

"How on earth did you manage to hide from me all week?" exclaimed Cat.

Dan turns to me before saying "That. Now that is one long story."


End file.
